What a huge 52 days – USA, Egypt, England, Perth & Sydney. While this started out as a compromise trip once I had to split out Egypt from my trip with Andrew later this year, it turned out to be great fun.
This trip really had it all, from comfort of travelling in the USA with my mum (Helen), to the third world corruption and heat of Egypt, to catching up with friends in London (plus Inge in Brussels) staying at my friend Jon’s flat to finally seeing a little bit of Australia in the Margaret River of Western Australia.
I flew from;
- Melbourne to Los Angeles (QANTAS 7,927 miles),
- Los Angeles to Cairo via London (British Airways 7,638 miles),
- Cairo to Brussels via Madrid (Iberia 2,899 miles),
- Brussels to London (British Airways 217 miles),
- London to Perth via Singapore (QANTAS 9,192 miles),
- Perth to Sydney (QANTAS 2,036 miles) and
- Sydney to Melbourne (QANTAS 438 miles)
For a total flight travel distance of 30,347 miles (48,838 kms). I was lucky to be upgrade to Premium Economy for the LA flight and Business class for the Perth to Sydney flight. Not bad for a ‘free’ award round the world ticket.
The trip was a real mixed bag of travelling, enjoyable and eye opening. The highlights included:
- Legends in Concert & Phantom of the Opera shows in Las Vegas
- SeaWorld in San Diego
- San Francisco Wharf area
- Sleeping under the stars on the Nile in Egypt
- Swimming in the Nile and the Red Sea
- The Pyramids in Cairo and Luxor
- Going wild on an all-terrain vehicle in the middle of the desert
- Camel and donkey riding in Egypt
- Hiking Mt Sinai (at 1 am in the morning!!) to see a beautiful sunrise
- Visiting Stonehenge site
- Seeing Billy Elliot a great West End show
- The Imperial Museum, especially the holocaust display but also the old tanks and planes
- Going to Wimbledon, The Oval (Surrey vs Kent) and visiting Lord’s
- Visiting the Royal Pavilion in Brighton (I’m surprised people didn’t rise up given the expense of this palace)
- Margaret River, especially the Winery Tour despite the hangover
I travelled to see historical sights and to visit interesting places but more importantly to meet other people and experience different cultures. From the mid-west USA residents I spoke to at the Legends in Concert (Las Vegas) about the USA economy and the car industry, to the culture of Egypt i.e. pay money and you can do anything, to the English experience including meeting smart people like Lora (one of Jon’s flatmates). This trip again opened my eyes that there is much more than what I can experience in Melbourne.
I love my hometown, and I’m reminded of that when I travel. I’m reminded about those I care about. I really enjoy the pre-trip catch ups, and e-mails / phone calls while I’m on the road. In some ways you get closer to people back home when you leave! I now need to organise my next world trip with Andrew. I also better impress at work given I just got a promotion and I’m only 4.5 months before heading off for a 66 day world trip again 🙂
Australia Photos, Europe Photos 1, Europe Photos 2, Egpyt Photos 1, Egpyt Photos 2, USA
Nathan's Insights 